HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 5 - Project Narrative_2160084Page 1 of 2
TO:Jill Ding, City of Renton DATE:April 20, 2016
FROM:PROJECT NO.:2160084.30Brad Medrud, AICP
PROJECT NAME:Maplewood Heights ES Portable
Classrooms CUP
SUBJECT:Project Narrative for Conditional Use Permit
The Renton School District is proposing to add two double classroom portables to the existing Maplewood
Heights Elementary School located at 130 Jericho Avenue Northeast in Renton, Washington before the start of
the 2016 – 2017 school year. Maplewood Heights Elementary School is located on King County parcel number
084710-0090, which is 8.67 acres in size. The current zoning designation of the site is Residential 4 (R-4). All
surrounding properties are also zoned R-4.
The proposed double classroom portables will add additional instructional space and not change the existing
elementary school use of the site. Each of the double classroom portables will be 1,792 square feet in size and a
single story, approximately 14 ½ feet in height. One double classroom portable classroom will be located on a
grassed area immediately west of the existing four double classroom portables on the site and one double
classroom portable classroom will be located on a grassed area immediately east of the existing four double
classroom portables.
Paved paths will connect the new portable classrooms to the existing school. The portable classrooms will
include metal stairs and ramps for access. The portable classrooms will be provided with electricity, but not water
or sewer service, and they will not be fire sprinklered or used for science labs, art studios, or other instructional
uses that would require running water. In the Certificate of Water Availability from King County Water District 90,
the available rate of fire flow for the portable is in excess of 1,500 gallons per minute (gpm). Per the 2012 IBC,
the Type of Construction will be VB and the Occupancy Classification will be Classification Group E. The
estimated project value of the proposal is $400,000.
This project will not remove or add parking stalls on the site. The current vehicular ingress and egress points and
internal traffic movement on the site, including emergency vehicle access, will not change because of this
proposal. No off-site improvements will be required because of this proposal. No existing trees will be removed
because of the placement of the portable or associated site work. There are no critical areas identified in the
project area and the project site area is not within 100 feet of any streams or wetlands. It is estimated that a net
of 118 cubic yards of fill will be required for preparing pads for the double classroom portables. Site soils have
been classified as medium dense to very dense Vashon lodgement till, overlain in places by fill. For detailed
information regarding soils and drainage conditions, please refer to the Technical Information Report prepared by
AHBL, Inc. in association with this proposal.
This proposal requires land use approval of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) with the City in order to allow us
subsequently to prepare and file the construction applications with the City for the portables. Our proposal
exceeds the limit in Note 9 of the Renton Municipal Code (RMC) 4.2-060 Zoning Use Table, which allows up to
four portable classroom buildings to be placed on a school site. If the number of portables exceeds four, the City
requires approval of a CUP through the Hearing Examiner before the City will approve the construction
documents to place the portable classrooms on the site.
The new SEPA exemption levels adopted by the State of Washington in 2012 established the SEPA categorical
exemption threshold for construction of a school as being less than 4,000 square feet of gross floor area, and with
associated parking facilities designed for 20 or fewer automobiles (WAC 197-11-800(1)(b)(iv)). In RMC 4-9-
070(G), the City of Renton has not adopted the higher categorical exemption levels available under the 2012
SEPA rules changes. Based on our understanding of the project and the District’s SEPA requirements and
exemption levels, we anticipate that this project will not require full SEPA review with the District as lead agency.
A SEPA Exemption Letter has been prepared in association with this proposal.
Project Memo Page 2 of 2
Maplewood Heights ES Portable Classrooms CUP
2160084.30
April 20, 2016
If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact me at (253) 383-2422.
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